Magazine Covers (Analysis)

The simplest code and conventions of magazines are compulsory. There needs to be a main image, an exclusive; the feature article image that is used is the most noticeable feature on the page as it covers most of the space, there are one of the most important part of a magazine and this is shown through the fact they normally overlap the title, this is expected but also the masthead must be clear and identifiable, also the feature article image must be appropriate just as all the other photos on and in the magazine, by suiting the genre and target their audience.
Music magazines use images of celebrities and well known characters because then it attracts a specific group, and also a readership profile which will increase depending on the popularity of the stars, this also will create a fan base for the magazine. In female magazines, most unlike boys, women aspire to be like the main images which are usually digitally enhanced (Photoshop) or airbrushed (glossy) this also creates another reason for them to buy the magazine.
The codes and conventions of magazines are used in different ways to attract their target audience. Magazines usually use the same codes and conventions; although, they use them depending on the genre. For example school, technology, politics and music magazines will look completely different to each other, because they portray different articles, this being because of the change of audience. Just like all other magazines, school magazines have what is known as a niche audience.
Niche audience: a niche audience is the specific group that a product is aimed at or trying to satisfy, by things such as specific market needs, as well as price range, production quality and the demographics/ age/ gender that is intended.
All magazine contents pages allow the readers to know what is inside.
Contents pages apart from being simple are informative as they feature all the articles.
They are usually highly graphical but are able to blend in simply (for example The phoenix contents) A variety of articles offer more pleasure to people because they do not want just to be reading the same articles/ similar articles although throughout all of the page, they will follow the same theme/ house color/ layout.
It is important that in a magazine, that there are interactive features that allow readers to get involved; these could be features such as quizzes, competitions and puzzles. This also could be an important part of the magazine because then the readers would always but the magazine on a daily basis for the fun and enjoyment.
On all magazines, there should be a lead story that will make the audience want to read, because it is the most appealing article to them.
These lead stories are usually exclusive or given additional bonuses and are given the most section of the page to attract the audience.
It is vital that the magazine has appropriate features and articles overall, because magazines that are not organized seem to look rather chaotic or incomplete: when missing things such as cover lines or having too many cover line. They also more importantly need to have content that is interesting and will attract their target audience. For example for the Goths : dark colors would attract them as well as heavy metal, for the rockers similar but for the urban cult hip hop and r&b content.
Audiences will expect to read information that relates to them, this could be o that they feel that they belong or so that they can increase there network.
The articles also need to attract the correct social economics/ demographics group such as the people who are in the social classes, A-E.
Seeing it is a school magazine the target audiences generally are C1 –E (anarchists, aspirers and rebellions.)
All magazines should be attractive and eye catching, but not too colorful, because they usually become a turn off. The front page of any magazine should be well organized include margins and have some form or sophistication. This is important because when a reader travels to buy a magazine they will pick up the most eye-catching magazine ( this can be through text or image/ color) this also is why most magazine should be attractive towards the left third. The headers of a magazine are also very important because 1) they give a glimpse of the readership profile. 2) They are able to blend it any article even when changed depending it is on the same genre.
A magazine also needs to contain and maintain similar typography: Font size, character and, representing the mood and audience (mise-en-scene.)
All magazines should follow a certain house style that is continuous throughout the entire entire article. The house style similar to layout/theme is basically the same use of color text and structured layout that are suited to the magazine genre.
It is important that the color is chosen wisely because with the colors that is used
Different people would be targeted, particular audiences due to the age, social class, gender, likes/ dislikes and so on...
For example If the institution is trying to interest an older audience the text would be classic, highly structured and sophisticated and be simple so that it is easily visible.
Another factor that magazines should include in the (FRONTCOVER) is the issue number, date and bar code that are always dreaded by magazine producers and left for the back pages or not included. The bar code is needed as because it tells the readers the price and so on… before it is bought.
A masthead must be large and creative so that it stands out from afar; It is usually centered where it is clearly noticeable to the audience even behind the feature article picture. It is important that the name of the magazine is often used as a lure so that it persuades readers to look inside.

On school magazines it is important that the pictures are original, looking as though the students have created it.
The phoenix magazine is a great example of this it shows an artwork which the students have produced and added it on, though sophisticated blends in rather simply.
The image also decreases the simplicity because it adds a theme unto the magazine.
I also noticed that there was a credits displayed towards the bottom part of the contents page this was great because it then acknowledges that the magazine was completely created as in a teamwork.
The contents of this magazine is great because with the tilted text readers would look closer so that they can identify parts of it.
























I have annotated and analyzed multiple examples of school magazines, in order to create ideas about how to plan and produce my school magazine.
The reason I chose a range genre was to get myself thinking about how magazines change the codes and convention or at time violate it, so that it becomes more suitable for there target.

Magazine front covers

There are various elements that contribute to the production of magazines, such as the formatting and target audience. Magazines can be found at bookstores and should be attractive at a distance.

Today I have been looking at the codes and convention's of magazine's, and found out that magazine's are similar but differ to other magazine's because of the genre such as film magazine's, music or gossip. I then started to look at the main elements of magazine's which are layout, image, text and audience profile.
The Wired magazine seems to be very sophisticated from the cover and I would guess that the target audience would be adults or above. The magazine's colour scheme seems always very simple though always: using a range of colours: Black's Red’s, whites and even the occasional pink. This will be representing gender for male’s and females. The layout is very simple and even starts to miss most of the codes and conventions of magazines; for example: the top and bottom strip banners, strap lines and sell lines.. The layout though being very sophisticated is neat and in place, with margins being obviously girded, making it overall an “ok” magazine. Also, because of the themes often used by these magazines, younger teenager's would have great difficulty understanding the layout and coming to term's with it, as they wouldn't be able to find what they are looking for. Looking at the text of the magazine, i found that they were using a mixture of two fonts , though both being bold; one of the fonts were similar to the Times new roman and the other simply Ariel black which is a very plain rounded text. I found this style of text made the magazine, as if the magazine used the "comic sans MS" style text it would make the text from the magazine out of place, and more importantly slightly child like, Just like pop magazines. Gender specification is important, and can be shown in images used for feature articles, telling the reader that this is the right one for them. Wired use’s male artists for most of its articles, dressed up in suits, and most old; I think the reason for this image being used is that readers would look to the magazine as being knowledgeable, even though it uses airbrushed and modified images to give the perfect look. At first sight teens would look up to the character as role model and aspiration and even a tutor: because in most articles there are often pages which guide the reader to hack, for personal safety and more. By looking at the magazine you can tell straight away that the target audience is for adolescents and above
Looking at the code's and conventions of this magazine and many, many more I viewed, I am starting to build some ideas for my magazine. ideas that I will expand on to make my magazine competitive towards other magazine's of the same style.

Trouble with father

As I was watching a few video clip on you tube, i found a black and white video called Trouble with father which is a sitcom and decided to watch it because it attracted me with its wacky cartoon advertising. The clip attracted me most importantly because the episode was called school newspaper, from the first 5 minute footage I was given ideas for what the school magazine I am making in the future should and could include.
Firstly: the clip helped me to acknowledge though a school magazine that not only the children would be interested in the school magazine but also the parents,
That I would need to interview or ask the pupils what they would like to see in a school magazine,
The magazine will need to contain personal stuff which the audience will be able to relate to, this could be through gossip...

What to do:
• collect magazine Images...
• Make a list of people who I might be able to tie into my project that I know in e.g. video recordings.
• Think of original images that even without being edited looks pretty amazing.
The Video is a small side project and would not take long.
It would take a couple of days to make and edit and done through the process of researching more about magazines.

Preliminary Task

My preliminary task is to plan and produce a school magazine front cover and double page contents. I will achieve this with some research and planning on the task. These are the magazine produced will need to include these:
The same (mise-en-scene) house style throughout the entire magazine; for example, the same use of font style/size and color for each page.
Different magazine types
A minimum of 4 original Images, photo's taken by me.
Target audience, students, staff, parents located at the school for my magazine
A masthead
A feature article image-this will fill practically most of the front cover
Exclusive-
Lead story-
Lure-
Maybe even a pug
It is important that i follow the codes and conventions of magazines, so that i will be able to create my magazine to look realistic and professional.